Why Is Race So Hard to Talk About?

So why exactly is race so hard to talk about in the United States? It might be because it’s sometimes hard to call oneself anything other than “American.” I often feel that “American” should be a race itself to spare anyone the trouble of answering the question, “What is your ethnicity?” I like to think of myself as Asian American more than I like to reference myself as part of a minority racial group. After all, being different isn’t easy. Neither are stereotypes. So it was no wonder that I found difficulty when writing about another minority racial group as part of a school assignment. I spent some time researching and more importantly, wondering whether I should call the group we formally know as African Americans as “blacks” or “colored.” I wanted to generalize their ethnicity into a non-offensive category, but I found myself conflicted on which one was more suitable and yet less stereotypical. Although I find myself able to call someone or myself Asian quite easily, I find it harder to label someone’s ethnicity based on their skin tone. Recently, I’ve found myself saying “Caucasian” instead of “white,” but continuing to say “African Americans” instead of black. To restate, why exactly is race so hard to talk about? Maybe it’s because some aren’t used to calling out other based on their ethnicity.

Many people live in communities where racism may be frequent while others live in communities where people of all races are treated relatively fairly. I live in a place where racism is not too much of a serious issue. The students at my school never think of race as something that defines who one is and the only remarks made about race are jokes. After reading the interviews about race, I understand that students around the country feel that race defines their character greatly. The responses from the students showed me that race had much more of an impact in their lives. The students seem to think about their race often, and their responses made me wonder how race exactly affected their daily lives. The students also knew more terms about race that I had never heard before such as a “token” black person. I now understand that being friends with a token black person means that you have invited that black person who is of a minority group in order to give off the impression of racial equality. I think that race may be hard to talk about for some people because they have experienced firsthand racism or segregation. If one has experienced a lot of racism, they may jump to the conclusion while talking about race that they are being offended in some way. I think what makes race awkward to talk about is the worry that one may accidentally offend the other person. Race is a very controversial topic, and as long as racism exists, there will always be trouble talking about race.

I believe its hard to talk about race because many people are afraid of saying the wrong thing. But I believe people shouldnt feel uncomfortable asking these questions because it gives people more knowledge about other ethnic groups. But I also feel that many people get offended to easily, I believe in order to really understand someone else or yourself you have to ask these kind of questions and not just think about yourself.

I think that race is a hard thing to talk about for most people because they're afraid of asking the wrong question or saying the wrong thing. Honestly, race is just our genetics and the color of our skin. It should have nothing to do with assuming someone's culture or religion. I feel like people get way too offended when someone assumes their culture or religion and although there should be a limit when stating your opinion, you shouldn't be afraid to ask people serious questions about their race. The issue is just that talking about race is offending to most people.

A race is only hard for certain people to talk about. There are some people who have grown up without realizing race. When they go into the world they will either be very careful about what they say or when they say it. When they are brought up with the knowledge of what race actually is. They realize that there is no control.

I think it is hard for people to discuss race because most people aren't taught to discuss race appropriately. When you are a child, you do what is taught and what you see. If a child is raised to believe that talking about race is somehow taboo, they may grow up with these feelings. I believe that we can start making conversations around race easier by teaching children what is appropriate and what is not appropriate when discussing another persons race. This way, they don't grow up with weird ideas about what is okay. These misconceptions can also lead to harmful but well-meaning statements about race ("What are you?" "You're pretty for a black/asian/etc girl"). It's not a quick fix, but trying to teach a generation a better way is always worth a shot.

One thing stood out to me in particular. At the very beginning, there is a question asked about if it is uncomfortable to talk to people about different ethnics. For me it isn't that difficult because my best friend is mexican and in some cases is considered black. However, sometimes asking her about her color does make me slightly uncomfortable. Even though we make jokes about it,I still am afraid to offend her in anyway. The main reason that I find it's hard for others to talk about race is because they really don’t want to offend others. I just think that some people are afraid more than anything else. I think that if you talk more seriously about the subject and ask your truthful questions without being rude, then it would be less awkward for both of you. It's not just awkward for one person, it's awkward for both parties. I think it would help if you didn’t judge or rate people based on their ethnic beliefs or background.

Everyday someone experiences racial discrimination but why? It’s 2017 we should have passed this already. We live in the “land of the free” but people are still oppressed. The worst part everyone wants it to change but it doesn’t. Race isn’t hard to talk about, it’s hard to accept every single person in this world racially discriminates someone. You may not notice but the sooner we can accept this the sooner we can move on. In a land we’re everyone should be free and equal but white supremacy and natzism are supported there is no way to get over the problem of racial conflict. People need to stop making it hard to talk about race and realize everyone is the same no matter what race they are. I’m the article Saleem says “I’ve used the term person of color or P.O.C., and people use the term about me. But I’m not sure that “of color” is significantly better than “non-white,” because we’re still defining people against a default of whiteness, right?” And this furthers the point. When we talk about race being hard to talk about it is not because we don’t know what to say but it is because we shouldn’t have to talk about someone based on the color of their skin.

I don't find it hard to talk about race, and I believe this passionately that in modern world it shouldn't matter that much. If a person is nice, then why should I think about his/her race? I have lots of friends that are from different countries, have different color of skin, believe in different things and have different opinions. And It's very interesting to talk about it, because you can learn something new from that person, something that a teacher wont tell you. I also think that it's harder for adults to talk about race because they are afraid to offend someone, or to be offended. It's not only white people that doesn't want to talk about it but black people that don't want to tell about such things. Because when you're grown up things get more complicated (even though I feel like they shouldn't be). It's easier for teenagers to talk about race, because they are spending so much time with different people that most people just don't think about it that way. There are some bad people and there are some good people and it has nothing to do with their race. Adults need to stop making that big of a deal out of it, and that will make things easier because there wouldn't be so much to talk about.

I think that race is only hard to talk about if one of the parties in the conversation makes it hard to. This can of course be done involuntarily, as many people’s initial response to being faced with a conversation about race is to stay quiet about their opinion or even ignore it altogether. I feel that this is an unhealthy habit that we as a society form in the early years of our lives. In conjunction with other negative predispositions common in modern times such as bias against people of other races, a major issue can arise that impedes the growth of many into accepting, understanding humans and can obstruct racist people from learning about other races and how to work toward becoming a better person. To paraphrase Bayeté in his interview, being complacent about the people in your friend groups treating you differently and as a “token black” person is a disservice to those groups. I wholeheartedly agree with this, as someone who’s silently accepting this unique treatment is as much of a problem as the others in the group. As I mentioned earlier, breaking these biases and habits so prevalent in our society is incredibly difficult and they will continue to stick until there is more of an active effort to end them. In regards to Saleem’s interview, I must say that while I do appreciate his lighthearted and joking approach to his ethnicity, he seems to be contributing to the aforementioned issues by advertising himself as “‘the ethnic kid’ in groups”.

I find it not that hard to talk about race because I find the whole race thing to be extremely stupid. I just see people. I determine if the person I am speaking to is a friend or a foe by the actions what that person does. I don’t think of the race of a person until someone bluntly points it out to me. When I do think about it, I think of the rude stereotypes of all races; all Muslims being terrorists, all whites being racists. I think of how people must have grown up to think that way. Race shouldn’t be hard to talk about. People should be able to talk about the stereotypes of the race or simple misconceptions that people have. Clear them up and learn. To my disappointment, there are people who make talking about race a problem. People who are stuck in a mindset that what they think is right can get so cruel when you argue with them. Yelling can begin, threats can be barked and physical harm can be started. So why do people find it hard to talk about race? Because people are scared of offending others. What if questions start flowing through a person’s brain when the phrase, “Want to discuss race?” I hate when this happens. When people don’t talk, nothing gets solved. Privilege people sometimes forget what other people who don’t have what they have tried to do to survive. But opening up and talking can solve so many problems. Unfortunately, people now and days would rather get in their safe spaces rather than talk about the matters that need to be talked about.

People now-in-days treat topics of race like fragile artifacts that will shatter when contact is made with it. I personally have run into several different awkward racial topics, and i have witnessed other people do the same in person and on social media. I believe the reasoning for this is because people fear what others will respond with. Most people feel that speaking about race (whether in a good way or a bad way) will only end in an argument voiced on opinions that never end. So when a conversation does come up, it's treated like a time-bomb that may explode if someone says the wrong thing. Think of it this way; when a man or woman turns 21 in America- they are by law able to drink. However, actually drinking in public for the first time will still make them uncomfortable, because its something they've been told not to do for 21 years. If someone speaks out about race, there will always be a person who gets offended by their comment, and so no one ever talks about race to insure that no one ever gets offended, even if people are just trying to educate themselves or voice what's on their mind. In order to stop such awkward conversations from happening, it's important to keep an open mind while having a conversation with someone. Let them know that you won't judge them, even if you don't share the same opinion.

Part 2: In particular I found that Beyete’s response to the question “Have you ever been the token black person? What does that actually feel like?” stood out the most for me. I didn’t even know what the term “token black person” meant until reading this article- but I have felt what she discusses both as a family unit and at school. In her response she states that she doesn’t want to make people “feel more multicultural and progressive than they are” but she also wants “to turn these situations into opportunities for dialogue around race”, and I couldn’t agree with her more.

Part 1 I have two black cousins whom I am very close with. They are of teenage years: one is finishing up his senior year of high school before he plays division one football, and one is a fourteen year old outgoing kid who doesn’t let Cerebral Palsy stop him. One of the first few times I noticed that talking about race was more awkward than usual was when I was learning how to drive. My dad brought up the point about what to do in the hopefully rare event of getting pulled over by a policeman, and I, underestimating his seriousness, came up with some over confident answer along the lines of “oh, but that won’t happen”. To which my dad was surprised and had a real talk with me about getting pulled over. I distinctly remember him explaining to me that the talk he was having with me now was nothing compared to the gravity of the conversation my aunt had to have with my cousin. “If he ever got pulled over it is imperative that he stop, and most importantly keep his hands on the wheel,” he said “Leah, if he even reaches for his wallet or his phone and there is questionable doubt that he may be grabbing a weapon, even if there is nothing in the car, it could mean the difference between life and death.” Now, that was an eye opener. In regards to this article, I feel strongly that these kinds of subjects need to be discussed more to the teen community. The more we discuss these matters the less difficult it is to talk about them.